Amateur

I enjoy taking pictures. I do not claim to be a photographer however, and with friends like Jim that have photography as a "hobby", I won't even claim that much.

Here are some favorites I've taken.

Maybe you will enjoy them as much as I do when taking them. If not, it's ok. I won't be a pistil.

Stinker on Parade

About three times a week I take Stinkerbell to work with me. She sleeps most of the day and I would rather that she be sleeping where I can give her some attention than at home alone when Scott is at his second job.

It's easier than you might think to transport a pet skunk. I'm sure Scott did not anticipate the many ways I would use my expensive Christmas present when he was picking it out last year, but it's the perfect size.

Man, I Feel Like a Woman

I had the day off today and enjoyed every minute of it.

I started off by sleeping in until about 9:30am. Truthfully, that's getting up early for me, since I get up at 10:30am on work days, but I went to bed at about 10:30pm last night and had plenty of sleep by 9am this morning.

I took a beautiful 45 minute drive up the keys to Nadine's salon and enjoyed a manicure and pedicure that lasted about two hours - it was absolute heaven. I have had acrylic nails for almost ten years, with only a few months off here and there to let things "breathe." I've had my natural nails for almost 5 months and finally had acrylics put back on today. She painted them a pearlescent orange and put little orange stones on the tips of my ring fingers. I feel very pimp, and October-Appropriate.

After driving home I took a two-hour nap with the cats and the dog and then I took a quick trip to the grocery store.

I invited my bosses over for dinner tonight and we had 3 courses. Salad, Macaroni and Cheese, and Key Lime Pie. The macaroni recipe is my paternal grandfather's. It's been pretty popular whenever I've made it in the past, so the decision to have a full on salad course was to keep us all from gorging ourselves too much on the mac.

Not only did I make a real dinner, I bought flowers at the grocery store and did some very martha-esque arranging. Individual orange gerbera daisies went in four tall shot glasses, and two small arrangements of red gerberas and orange mini-roses are sitting in two wine glasses.

We've done a decent job at keeping our house presentable in the last week since my cousins went back to Orlando, here's hoping it's a trend.

Incognito

I am secretly a rock star. The "regulars" know this, the "newbies" may not.

Both of my parents have music degrees. I have been able to sing as long as I can remember, and learned to harmonize very early as well. I started playing piano by ear fairly young as well, but my passion is singing.

About ten years ago I met someone that has always encouraged my abilities. He has been like a mentor to me since. The evolution began with him asking me to sing solos - covers of songs that I didn't think I had the guts to do but this is someone you don't say no to. Around the same time I joined a band - I was the only girl and wanted to be included. I began as backup singer and tambourine player and then drew on my beginnings with the piano and became a keyboard player.

Three years ago I started singing with two different groups. The first was Ella Mental, an acoustic trio. TJ and Megan played acoustic guitar and I sang and played percussion.

The other group was The Swing Sisters. Chelsea and I had been talking about our love of swing and big band jazz era music and wanted to start a group. We met Brooke thanks to an organization called the Dickens Carolers, which Chelsea and TJ both sang in. We asked Brooke if she would be interested in a Swing group and she was excited about the idea.

We began rehearsals in January of 2005 and our first performance was a private party on Mother's Day that year. We had ten songs memorized and choreographed, and were a big hit.

Our repertoire soon grew to about 15 songs by June, and we began performing monthly at a local jazz diner that had just opened. The demand grew quickly and by August we began performing twice a month on Thursday nights around 10pm.

By September we knew about 30 songs and were constantly improving our "moves" and learning new tunes.

In December we performed as the entertainment for my company Christmas party.

2006 found us in even more demand and we were moved to Friday nights at the diner, with an earlier call time. This brought us an even wider following and we performed by request for a couple of Saturday night parties at the diner to a packed house.

I met Scott in April of 2006 and moved to Key West in September, 2006. In between I continued to perform with The Swing Sisters (and Ella Mental, now performing once a month at a coffee shop) and we pursued lessons in improving our choreography and stage presence.

I have tried to take an attitude of "out of sight, out of mind" but I am grieving for my group. I was replaced, which I expected, and they are going strong, performing in several venues around town. I wish I could say that I would love to see them perform when I go home to visit, but I just can't bring myself to do it. I am jealous. I am still a little bitter.

I'm sure if I was regularly singing here I would heal, but it hasn't happened yet...

Skunk Central

Since we've been talking skunk lately - I'll fill everyone in on what it's like to HAVE a pet skunk.

This is her cage. It fits nicely between our entertainment center and the wall.

It looks pretty different now - this picture was from the first day she was home. The bed is now on the main floor, the inner ladder is removed and the hammock is gone. She wasn't getting the hang of the inner ladder and just sleeping on the floor - so I decided to just keep it one level for now.

Her litter pan is triangular and goes in the back left corner. She has a big ceramic water bowl in the front left corner and her blue bed is on the right side, underneath a big green plastic igloo she likes to hide in.

Skunks are nocturnal, so she's been sleeping during the day for the most part. I'm trying to get her to interact with me in hopes we can switch her schedule around, but I haven't tried too hard yet. Stinkerbell is only in her cage when we are going to be gone for more than a half hour or at night when we go to bed. That will probably change with time, but for now I want her to be able to really establish it as her space - her safety zone.

Feeding happens in the morning - anytime between 8am and 10:30am - and evening around 8pm. She's been pretty good about being patient, she likes to wait at my feet while I'm making her meal and then follows me back to her cage - she knows that's where she eats.

The Diet is a mixture of skunk food pellets (made by Exotic Nutrition), cottage cheese, and thawed or fresh veggies and a little bit of fruit. Initially the veggie portion was some mixed veggies (peas, green beans, carrots and lima beans) but she doesn't like the lima beans. I try to give her some variety at breakfast, lately a couple slices of yellow squash and green beans or peas and then the mixed veggies until they run out at night.

For snacks she gets a baby carrot or a couple of seedless grapes, we also have some dog treats that are made from dried lamb lung (sounds disgusting to me) that Stinkerbell and Buster both love.

The main hurdle is keeping her out of the dog dish. Buster is catching on that he has to eat while he has the chance because then the dish gets put up out of reach.

We do a lot of snuggling on the couch - she likes to lay right above our heads if she's not in our laps. She's been showing interest in toes - playfully nipping at them. We have to discourage this though, because even if it is meant as play, the teeth are pretty sharp and her bite will only get stronger as she gets older.

I have to schedule an appointment for her to be spayed soon, apparently skunks can develop nasty attitudes when they hit "puberty" (sound familiar to any moms of teens?).

I commented to Scott last night that Stinkerbell is easily the cleanest pet we own. She poops consistently in her litter pan, and cleaning it is far easier than cleaning the cat box or picking up dog poop outside. She is also the quietest pet. She doesn't whine like a dog or meow like a cat. Very peaceful in general.

Pet Skunks kick ass.

I'm Legal!

I received my Class III Wildlife License in the mail today!

I am officially the proud mama of a pet skunk!

A Big Fat Kick in the Pants

I love hosting visitors at our home. Living in Key West and having an extra bedroom with it's own full bath makes it a prime opportunity for friends and relatives to come visit at a reasonable price.

Even before I moved and before I bought my Vancouver house, I used to host a "Dinner Night" every Wednesday night for 10-20 people. I would plan the menu and do most of the cooking, instructing guests what to bring as contributions to the meal.

It's probably the Old German Lady living inside me - I feel the need to feed everyone or cover them with a blanket.

I've never claimed to be a clean housekeeper despite having frequent guests. All my life the only thing that has motivated me to clean my room (then house) was the impending arrival of a friend. My mom was quite exasperated at my version of cleaning my room (throwing all the crap in the closet or under the bed) and even when I went away to boarding high-school, having someone come stay with me was my only motivator to straighten things up.

Living in the opposing corner of the country from the majority of my friends and relations has given me ample time to let my housekeeping skills go totally in the toilet. Fortunately, beginning in February this year we've had guests from out-of-town nearly every month.

Tonight two of my cousins arrive and we spent the afternoon and evening cleaning up our house. I have to say it looks pretty good - especially since I bought a couch cover, new throw pillows and put up sconces that have been waiting patiently in the corner for months.

I'm glad I can be forced to sterilize the pigsty once in awhile, or Scott would probably leave me.

RWC #6

Good Friday Morning...

" The trenches dug within our hearts
And mothers, children, brothers, sisters
Torn apart."

Some People...

I was shopping today at a Winn Dixie. For those in the Northwest, Winn Dixie is pretty similar to Winco. It is very likely that a section of the store is under construction at any given time, and guaranteed that someone is shopping in their pajamas regardless of the time of day.

Today as I was exiting the store, a woman stepped on the scale in the cart holding area. She said "I lost 10 pounds!" I said "Nice!" before actually looking at her and then realized that she was pregnant. She said back to me "NOT nice! That's bad! I'm this pregnant and lost weight!"

I nearly bit through my tongue to keep myself from pointing out the fact that the cigarette in her fingers was probably not a good way to pack on the pounds. I also wanted to punch her in the face.

Am I going to hell?

Ode

I called my maternal grandmother yesterday to thank her for the very thoughtful birthday card she sent me.

It may be the first time I've called her in the year since I moved to Florida. When she answered I was surprised that she sounds old now.

Growing up I spent a lot of time with my mom's parents. My mom was an executive and traveled around the country a lot. Most of these trips meant that I stayed with my Grandma and Grandpa during her absence. When I was very young, I would spend the morning with a babysitter and then join my grandparents in the afternoon at the two-room school where Grandma taught 1st through 4th grade and Grandpa taught 5th through 8th. As I got older I stayed at the school with them all day, hanging out in the loft and reading or drawing.

At home with them, Grandma taught me to bake, crochet and sew. On trips to Walla Walla, Grandpa taught me to count and about the constellations. I recall many trips before the seatbelt laws came into effect where I laid in the back window of their Volkswagon Rabbit and gazed at the stars during the four-hour trip. We would take this same trip about once a month and then more frequently as my great-grandparents health failed. Driving through the Columbia Gorge holds countless memories for me and it is still a pleasant experience.

I learned to read early, thanks to my mom reading to me every night before bed and my grandparents doing the same when I stayed with them. My favorite book to have Grandpa read to me was "Nose Is Not Toes." Even now one of the first things he says to me is "Marisa, nose is not toes!" and giggles.

I learned to ride a bike thanks to my grandparents. They purchased a black and yellow boy's bike with training wheels at a garage sale and we began the process. I was horrified at first to have to ride a BOYS bike, but I got over it quickly. In later years I would have a bike at their house and the three of us would ride together. I was so proud that my Grandparents rode bikes at their age (I think they were probably in their late fifties or early sixties at the time).

I vividly recall the pattern of the linoleum on their kitchen floor. I remember the summer that they tore out the tree that had the three swings hanging from it's biggest bough and replaced it with a koi pond. The pond was finished just in time for my birthday party, and I was invited to swim in the pond with my friends before the fish were put in. I remember that my grandfather was an honorary member of the engineers club at Shady Dell, and they took us to ride the miniature trains often.

I was in still in elementary school when I grew taller than my grandparents. When I was in high school they moved from the house I had spent so much time in to one near some of my Grandma's siblings. Now our trips to Walla Walla were to see my grandparents, instead of with them.

About 5 years ago my Grandma was diagnosed with cancer in her abdomen. Right about the same time one of my very close friends who was only 25 was also diagnosed with abdominal cancer, but she was pregnant. My friend underwent mild chemotherapy and initially seemed to be responding well to the treatment. Because of this, I strongly encouraged Grandma to also have chemo. Sadly I lost my friend after 3 months of her battle, but Grandma went into remission. In the four years since she has 3 relapses and 3 more rounds of chemo.

I am suddenly faced with my grandparents' mortality. I am not ready. They contributed so much to my childhood memories and education, and I want them to meet my children and have my children have the opportunity to learn from them.

When they go I will not be ready, even if they are. I owe them an immeasurable amount of gratitude and can only hope that I have begun to express that to them in the time I have left.

RWC #5

As I sit on the couch, slogging through the Access database I'm using to create my guest list for the wedding, I realize it is Friday night.

Not that any of you have run breathless to your computer to see what brilliant brain stumping lyrics I'm going to quote today, but here they are regardless.

" And she's taller than most
And she's looking at me
I can see her eyes looking from a page in a magazine
Oh she makes me feel like I could be a tower
A big strong tower"

Now back to your regularly scheduled programming.

Hunting Season

I've decided to look for a new abode for our family. Our rent went up with our new lease and Scott wants to quit his second job so we can actually see each other.

Our friend-that-was-supposed-to-move-away-and-isn't has a house that runs him $1500 a month for two bedrooms, one bath. The kitchen is small but it has a very open floor plan that I like, and a fenced back yard that is enormous.

We looked at a house last night that's $1900 a month (we're now paying $2140) and it's cute, 3 bedrooms, one bath, but in a really junky neighborhood.

We're probably going to have to drive around the neighborhoods we like and hope for a "for rent" sign.

In the meantime, I need to get at least one renter in my house in Vancouver, preferably two. I'm going to revamp my old Craigslist ad and see what happens. I would rather have renters that I know, or that my current occupants know, but I guess I'll have to just see what I get and be choosy.

For those following the skunk saga, It's looking good! I'm in process of getting the Class III Wildlife license and last night a brilliant name came to me... Stinkerbell! HA HA HA HA HA!!! I'd probably just call her "Belle" for short. She's been pooping faithfully in the corner litter box I put in her cage, so that's one hurdle we were concerned about!

Our realtor (landlord's rep) came into the store a few days ago and I broached the subject of my skunk with him. He said "if you decide to keep it, I don't want to know about it." Not that I'm expecting any other landlord to be ok with a skunk, but it's worth a shot.

Now we have to negotiate the cage...

Accident Prone

When I was about 3, I discovered the ability to jump off of things. You know how excited kids get when they find out they can leap from something on to the floor - it's very liberating. We had just arrived home from the hospital (I don't know why we were there) and I wanted to show off my new skill to my mom. When the side door of the van was opened I attempted a jump from the van to the sidewalk.

I landed on my head.

Back to the hospital we went and that was my first set of stitches, right in the top of my head.

In fourth grade I wanted to be cool like the other girls and do a "cherry drop" from the monkey bars. The idea is to start hanging from the bar by your knees, and by swinging back and forth, gaining enough momentum to flip and land on your feet.

I landed on my back with my left arm underneath me.

I wore a brace and ace bandage for a month for a "green-stick" fracture.

Sadly, I didn't grow out of this problem, it only got worse as time went on.

The summer after my freshman year in high-school, I was staying with my aunt and uncle for the summer. My aunt and I decided to ride our mountain bikes in to town to get the mail, and on the way back our final navigation was to cross a main road and then turn onto the street their house was on.

All I remember was waking up face-down in the gravel with my bike on top of me.

I was rushed to the emergency room in the cab of a truck that had stopped at the "scene", and I withstood the nurses scrubbing the gravel out of my face with a sponge. The on-call plastic surgeon sewed up my lip and I visited a dentist and ear, nose and throat doctor to make sure I hadn't screwed things up too much. It took a couple of months to heal, just in time for school.

During my sophomore year I managed to crash skiing and plant the end of my ski-pole into my face, and then a few months later bounce my face off the sidewalk while rollerskating.

My skull endured several other injuries during my high-school career, from having a friend lift me up to change a lightbulb and running my head into a nail to falling down the stairs carrying a laundry basket and landing with my cheek on a corner of the laundry bin.

I'm amazed I made it to adulthood in one piece, not looking like a plastic surgeon mistake, and un-brain-damaged.

New and Improved

As I enter my 4th decade, I decided to revamp my blog a bit. I've added links to other blogs that I enjoy regularly in addition to links to sites where I spend a lot of time.

My birthday was a fun day - I started the day itself with a trip to the vet for the dog and all three cats. Our vet of choice is over an hour away, and Buster was very good in the car with the three cats wandering around at will.

Chou and Buster had rabies boosters, Minx was diagnosed some antibiotics for a skin issue, and everyone was weighed and groped. Buster needs to lose about 7 pounds, and we need to start brushing Chou's teeth. Everyone else is in good shape.

I have always been able to trim the toenails on the boy cats, but Minx becomes a kitty-demon as soon as I try to hold her down at all. It took the vet, the tech and myself with a towel to wrestle each paw into position.

After arriving back home I took a nap, and Scott stopped at home between jobs long enough to give me my present, a video ipod! YAY!

I had many birthday cards and calls, and Scott and I began the skunk negotiations last night as well. I began the process of applying for a Class III Wildlife license today, since it is required to own a skunk and even if we don't keep her, it will look good on my resume as I am store manager.

RWC #4

It's 1:06am where I live... so here you go:

"... The winds of change are always blowing
And every time I try to stay
The winds of change continue blowing
And they just carry me away..."

And for those who are counting, the leader board reads:
Lou aka Mandy: 1
Jim: 1
Jill: 1

It's neck and neck and neck. That's a lot of necking, people. Let's concentrate on the music, shall we?

Birthday Bash

Just a quick rundown on my birthday celebrations so far...

Last night the bosses took Scott and I to dinner at a very nice restaurant in Key West - pics to come. BEFORE we left our house (they picked us up) they gave me my present.

I opened the very large gift bag to see a cardboard box. I opened the box and there was THE SKUNK!!! My boss GAVE me a birthday SKUNK!!

I'm thrilled and yet not jumping up and down yet because my boss didn't actually TALK to Scott about it first, so there's still some negotiating to be done.

In any case, Squirt has to live at the store until I get my Class III Wildlife license which would allow me to have her.

More soon...

Glamour Skunk

We have one skunk left at the store, I'm hoping the owner keeps her. She has been named "Squirt", despite being de-scented.

Every day in the afternoon I take her from her cage and snuggle her for an hour or two. She's usually pretty sleepy about that time and is very pliable. Yesterday she napped in the toy dog-bed on the counter while I ran the register. It was pretty fun to have customers place something on the counter and jump when they realized she was real and not battery-operated.

Skunk fur is much softer than it looks, I initially expected it to be wiry and somewhat coarse, but it is very thick and lush. When she is in her relaxed state, she is very happy to be stroked and scratched behind the ears. When she is hungry, she is on the prowl and a little sharp and pointy in the teeth department.

Since the store was slow and Squirt was amiable, we took the opportunity to "pimp her out."

A leopard-print bow in her hair and a faux-pearl necklace made her a very fashionable picture, indeed.

Scott has told me that I cannot bring home a skunk, and I know she wouldn't get along with the cats, but I love her none the less.

RWC #3

"...the happier we'll be."

There you go.

Rather Domestic

I'm feeling very responsible.
Since the end of my shift at work (at about 7:45pm) I have:

• Bought enough dog food to last for about a month AND kitty litter
  
• Took out the garbage
• Went grocery shopping
• Made and ate a sandwich
• Made about a 1/2 gallon of salsa
• Made filling for enchiladas
• Emptied and refilled the dishwasher
• Fed the dog and cats

I'm planning to get up early (for me) tomorrow and put the enchiladas together. Maybe I'll thrown in some laundry folding if I'm extra-motivated.

Drawing a Blank

I haven't had much to say these last three or four days, I've been getting lots of wedding stuff done. I found dresses for the flower girls and ring bearer (yes, a girl) at Ross for $9.99 and $24.99 when I was prepared to spend upwards of $50 on each!

I've also been going ahead with plans around the house since it looks like we won't be moving anytime soon.

RWC #2

It's almost 1am... technically Friday...

Song phrase for this week:

"dark behind it rose the forest..."

Hints to come in comments if needed, I'm off to bed!

List This!

I am a list-maker.

At the moment I have countless lists going. I have an Access database of all the movies I've ever seen complete with the year they came out, lead actor and/or actress and director.

I have another Access database of our guest list for the wedding. An Excel spreadsheet for the wedding with several pages - budget, wedding party, locations, etc., a wedding planning book/filer with more lists and magazine cut-outs, and still another blank book for making random wedding lists off the top of my head that I don't think are ready to commit to the computer.

Over the years I have started several databases to catalog the books and cds I own, having to re-start them from time to time as I have had new computers.

In order to accomplish anything on my days off I have to make a list of things I want to get done. If I don't, I will wake up in the morning and honestly have a blank mind as to what to do for the day.

Awhile back I made a list of things I wanted to accomplish in my life. I've actually crossed many of them off, and such progress caused me to add to it.

I have to have a grocery list, or I will go to the store for lasagna noodles and come out with cheese, veggies, ice cream, toilet paper, milk, bread, garlic, veggie crumbles and no noodles.

I have a blank book for budgets, which I've also found easiest to keep my checkbook register in as well.

I have lists of all the states I've been in and all the states I have yet to visit. Last night I actually wondered if it would be possible to list all the people I know, personally, as aquaintences, whatever - just because it would be interesting.

When I'm at work I'll make lists of things I want to make sure get done before the end of the shift. I make lists from other lists. A list of books people have requested that we carry, a list of dogs people would like us to get, a list of things to go back later and make more lists from!

If I go on a trip, I start about a month before hand making a list of what I need to take. On two occasions I have decided to skip the list and pack "on the fly" and have forgotten underwear, socks, toothbrush (although I remembered the toothpaste!) and other various necessities.

I even have a list saved on my desktop of things to blog about.

Meet Mr. Fleabus

This is Buster.

Buster is a VERY good dog. He turned 9 on July 30th this year and has a few grey hairs in his muzzle and on his back.

Scott inherited Buster as a two-year-old. His previous owners could no longer take care of him and Scott was fortunate enough to have the right connections to take him in.

I met Buster when I arrived in Key West last year. He accepted me very readily and it was easy to teach him that although he had been trained to chase cats up until this point, the NEW cats are "babies", which translates into "something not to mess with."

He is very respectful and knows that when we are eating dinner he needs to be in another part of the house and not beg.

Buster is the picture of loyalty. If Scott or I even joke about chasing one of the cats, Buster gets between us and the cat and barks. It's far worse if we even joke attack each other - he gets up on his hind legs and boxes us.

He will never look the cats in the eye, he knows not to intimidate them. On the other hand, he will also let the Hamster sit on his head.

He is known as Buster, Duster Boggie, Buddy, and Brown Thing.

I am officially a member of the Boxer party.

I Wish I Were a Cat

Sometimes it's hard not to be jealous of the fat fluff on my couch. Everyone loves him. He has won over people that don't even tolerate cats.

I would love to have people feed me, pet me and give me treats, be able to snort kitty weed, and watch the Hamster for entertainment.

His only concerns are if he is going to be allowed under the covers at night, and if he can commandeer the top roost on the cat tree.

He is fed a mixture of Eukanuba Lamb & Rice and Solid Gold Katzenflocken. Good stuff.

The Life of the Chou.

Reese's (New) Weekly Competition

I'll give you a phrase from a song and you name the song and if applicable, setting.

Here's the first one:

"...I'll never know what made it so exciting..."

And So What We Have Learned...

Today I learned about the lolrus and his bukket.

It's a fascinating saga, really. I had no idea.

My journey began on Slate, in an article about lolcats, which then led to the lolrus entry on urbandictionary.com and then on and on from there.

Poor lolrus.

Move!

Sometime in the next two to four weeks we will be moving. Our lease for the condo is up tomorrow (15th) and a friend of ours that has been renting a house is moving to D.C., so we're going to takeover the house.

I hate moving, but I'm excited about this one. The house has a fenced back yard which is FANTASTIC for Buster, and the house itself is very nice - the whole front room area is painted a dark red (which I love) and feels very open and modern. The only downsides are that there is only one bathroom (the condo has 2.5) and a very small kitchen. And no pool.

The condo is about 10 blocks from my work, and on the same street. The house is three streets behind the store and 2 blocks over. I won't have to tackle ANY main drag traffic to get there!

I suppose I'll live without the pool, I'll just have to go to the beach more often!

We'll most likely be in Key West for another year at least, unless something unexpected happens in Scott's job field and we are facilitated a move that is worth it. When that happens I would like to drive, as I enjoyed the cross-country trip before, but Scott wants to fly us and all the animals.

I'm hoping to rent a big Suburban or Van and just toss everyone in it.

The Battle Rages On

Today, Buster had a date with Bernadette. I found 4 fleas on him yesterday, and the saying is that for "every flea you see, there's 100 you don't see."

I suspect that ratio is a little exaggerated when it comes to Buster, since he has short hair, but I didn't want to risk it.

I am washing all his bedding, our bedding, and the couch cover.

I don't have any fresh bites, yet.

So, Buster got groomed today and came home with a "Jazzy Dogs" bandanna. Bonus!

Smelly.

Working at a pet store I encounter many different smells on a daily basis. Some are pleasant (clean puppy fur, dried fruits and nuts) and some are potently terrible (skunk poop, dead fish).

In the last few days I have had several transportations into my childhood thanks to smells in the store.

• Cedar bedding: reminds me of the summer I spent in Mt. Shasta riding horses with Meriah and Jason. At the beginning of the summer I couldn't stay on a horse even with a saddle, and by the end I could ride bareback on a horse that was trying to escape fireworks.
• Scratch (chicken feed): takes me back to spending time on my cousins' farm in eastern Washington. The house was in the middle of wheat fields and was a true old farmhouse. We passed the days wrapped in our imaginations, putting on plays and circuses in the hayloft, and avoiding fire ants while exploring the drainage ditch.

What smells transport you to another time and place?

Make Me a Samich!

My favorite food is cheese, and my favorite way to eat it is a grilled cheese sandwich.

I love sandwiches. I can usually find something to eat at any restaurant by choosing a sandwich.

When I was briefly attending Walla Walla College, the majority of my meals in the cafeteria (few, since I was a village student) consisted of a deli sandwich. Usually I chose Rye bread and slathered it with mayo on one side and cream cheese on the other. Then I would add cheese, tomatoes, sprouts and avocado when available. Tasty.

As a child, my parents would make hoagies and I learned to love Provolone and Pepperoncinis at an early age.

Last week Scott and I enjoyed lunch at Goldman's Deli, which is primarily a bagel shop and diner, and I had the veggie sandwich pictured above. It definitely ranks as one of the best I've ever had.

Fun Fotos of Feathers and Fur

I've decided to share some of the pictures I've taken at work over the last few months. Click on the thumbnails to see a larger version.

The first picture is of BamBam (a Blue and Gold Macaw) and a baby African Grey parrot. The owners of the store decided to keep BamBam once they realized how snuggly she is, even with their three dogs.

The bunny on the right is a half Dwarf rabbit and half Lop-ear rabbit. He was a rescue rabbit and was so docile you could hold him on his back cradled like a baby.

We have a fish department that has both freshwater and saltwater fish tanks around three sides of the room. Here is a Fantail Goldfish in one of our freshwater tanks.

Every couple of months we get baby Ferrets. This is a Panda marked female ferret. If Scott hadn't already had 3 ferrets before we met and sworn never to have them again, this little one would have joined the menagerie at home.

On the left is yet another picture of BamBam. Before working at the store I was never very interested in birds, but seeing BamBam and Q-Tip go from small prickly chickens to beautiful birds with a ton of personality has made Scott and I both fall in love with them.


Every week or so we bring in Betta fish. I brought home one and named it Won-Ton, following in the tradition of my previous Bettas: Hi-Ya, Kung Pao, and General Tso.

In addition to big birds, we have canaries, parakeets, and many varieties of finches. These are Owl Finches.

I have many more pictures of the baby skunks, but I really like this one. Even though they've been de-scented, they don't know that they can't spray, so their defensive reaction of tail-lift is still automatic.

Doing My Part

Do you know about Blackle?

Since I was using Google as my home page anyway, I've changed it to Blackle. Not tooting my own horn or anything, but I also try to keep lights off in rooms when I'm not in them, and I turn the thermostat up when I leave the house so the AC isn't running while we're not here.

I also walked to work today, but that has more to do with the fact that my car is dead.

8/10/07...It has been pointed out to me by Jake that it's all for naught.

"I Left My Heart... In Van-couv-er-o..."

I miss my house. I miss Andy. I miss my job at Clark County Title.

I miss my mom and Lou, Monica and John Paul and all the kids.

I miss rainstorms and Starbucks on every other corner.

I miss making more money.

I miss Bridge City, Kevin Brussett and EVERYONE there.

I miss Tim and Jim and the opportunity to record music.

I miss throwing dinner parties.

I miss Karaoke with Bob and Chelsea and Jared and Ivan and Rachel.

I miss "the silent game" in the pool.

I miss the rest of my books.

I miss Mt. Hood, the Columbia River and the Oregon Coast.

The Right Stuff

I am listening to the New Kids On the Block. Why? Because I have come to the realization that if I am not interacting with music in some way EVERY DAY, I am nothing.

I don't know how I let myself get into the rut forgetting that I act like I'm a stoned zombie stumbling through my life if I don't have music.

I have trouble getting motivated to write (blog, music, whatever), clean, anything but sleep.

I take an anti-anxiety and anti-depression medication, which helps, but if I listen to music, I'm actually better off than if I had the "best day ever" medicated or otherwise.

I'm not going off my meds... I'm just realizing that in order to kick my own butt into gear, I have to be listening to or making music.

My laptop is sitting on the kitchen counter hooked up to some external speakers (thanks, Dad!) and itunes is running a shuffle through my "old school" playlist. Consequently I've been cleaning and cooking nonstop for the last two hours.

Sounds like the Right Stuff to me.

One Week of Cousintude.

Carrie left this afternoon.

We crammed a lot of fun and excitement into one week...starting with the arrival (read the previous post).

Friday night after my shift was over I got cleaned up and we drove down to walk the Marina. We ended at Damn Good Food To Go and I had a deli sandwich while Carrie enjoyed a Boca Burger. Our hunger satiated, we walked up to Duval and surveyed the scene for a few blocks, long enough to buy souvenirs at Hard Rock Cafe and admire the "wildlife" (tropical birds and lizards that you can pay to have your picture taken with) on our way back to the car.

Saturday I had to work from 8am to 4pm, so Scott took Carrie to the Waterfront Market for sandwiches. After I was done at the pet store, Carrie and I went to Salsa Loca for dinner and then to the Blonde Giraffe for Key Lime Pie (dipped in chocolate and on a stick).

Sunday morning we all slept in a little and then Carrie and I went to IHOP for breakfast. We took a short drive around the island and then found a parking spot a few streets over from the Green Parrot, where Scott's band was scheduled to play at 3pm. Right as I was parallel parking the BMW, a torrential downpour started and we had no choice but to brave it. Carrie found shelter under an overhang while I plugged the meter, and then we ran the two blocks to arrive just in time for the first song.

Butcher Hollow featuring Tyvek Velvette rocked the house, and a great time was had by all. Carrie and I walked Duval and shopped a little while Scott and the band packed up, and then we met up at Kelly's for some beverages. Our stay at Kelly's wasn't too long, as we decided to make homemade pizza for dinner.

Monday I worked a split shift - 8am to 11am and then 4pm to 8pm. Carrie and I managed to squeeze in a little pool time in between and then after the later shift the three of us went to Virgilio's for dinner and drinks, both of which were fantastic.

Tuesday we hit the pool again for a little while and then enjoyed lunch at Goldman's Bagels before I went to work. We enjoyed a quick meal of appetizers at Outback with Scott and Justin and then retired back to the house.

Wednesday morning we spent more time poolside before I had to go to work at 2pm, and then headed out to the Sunset Lounge to sing Karaoke.

Thursday I had the day off, so we set out for a drive up the Keys at about 10:30am. We stopped for coffee at Baby's Coffee before setting up on the beach at Bahia Honda. Turquoise water the temperature of bathwater, overlooked by blue skies. We waded for about an hour and a half to build up an appetite and then shared a Gardenburger at Rob's Island Grill on Big Pine.

On the drive back to Key West we stopped at Boondocks to play a round of mini-golf. Fortunately there are misting poles throughout the course, or we would have broiled to death.

Once back in Key West, we napped and then went to El Siboney for a fabulous dinner of Cuban rice, beans and plantains, followed by a piece of Key Lime Pie from Kermit's.

This morning we slept in and then joined Scott for lunch at The Cafe. I dropped Carrie off at the airport just before 4pm where she managed to get on a 4:55pm flight to Miami since her 4:17pm flight to Tampa had been delayed to around 5:30pm.

Welcome to Paradise!

Carrie is here for a week as a college graduation present from Scott and myself.

Friday as I was clocking in at work my cell rang and it was Carrie.
"I'm in Orlando..."
"What?! Why? Why aren't you in California? I'm confused!"

Scott and I booked Carrie's flight online. She told me she had the 21st through the 27th off and we managed to snag a 12:30am flight on Friday the 21st for her.

Thursday night around 9pm Dixie asked Carrie what her plans were for Friday and what time her flight left. After checking her itinerary Carrie discovered that the flight left in 3 hours and she had not packed yet.

I'm not a dummy. Scott is not a dummy, and Carrie is certainly not a dummy. But we all assumed that 12:30am on Friday meant "Friday night just past midnight" as opposed to "Thursday night just past midnight."

Fortunately she had already run a load of laundry and it was in the dryer, so packing hastily wasn't as chaotic as it could have been. Dixie sped Carrie to the airport and she barely made the flight. The connecting flight in Houston went as planned but on approaching Florida, the cabin was notified by the crew that they were diverting to Orlando instead of landing in Tampa due to bad weather.

Once on the ground in Orlando, the flight de-planed and then re-planed and went to Tampa. Since her original connection to Key West had already left, the airline managed to find a flight from Tampa to Miami to Key West.

My cell rang again at about 4:20pm and I assured Carrie I would come pick her up right away. I managed to find someone to cover for me at work for about 15 minutes and I hurried to the airport. After the hugging we threw the luggage in the trunk and drove back to work where Carrie was entertained by the Dutch Shepherd puppy and I finished my shift.

"Here I Am... at Six O' Clock in the Morning..."

Scratching the back of my throat with the back of my tongue. Ick.

It doesn't hurt, or burn, it just itches uncontrollably. I came downstairs in search of some lozenges and haven't found any yet, so I am drinking ice water with a hefty squirt of lemon juice in it. It helps a little.

Now is NOT the time to be sick! I'm two days away from the end of a six-on-one-off-six-on schedule and Carrie is coming to visit for a week on Saturday. NO SICK. NO.

I won't subject you to a photo of the back of my throat. Unless it gets really interesting.

Hoedown!

Anyone that has known me well for any length of time knows that my favorite TV show of all time is Whose Line Is It Anyway?.

At one point I had 5 VHS tapes full of American and British versions of the show. I can watch reruns of it many times over and still laugh hysterically, even when I know the punch line that is coming.

Some of my favorite games on the show are "Props", "Scenes From a Hat", "Greatest Hits", "Hats", "Whose Line" and "Song Styles". My favorite performers and of course Colin Mochrie and Ryan Stiles, Wayne Brady and Greg Proops.

Wayne Brady is a very talented performer, comically talented, but very musically gifted as well. He was responsible for a "Song Styles" game dedicated to a Lunch Lady named Lee. Wayne has to perform the song in the style of a "Strip-O-Gram" and makes up the entire song on the spot. I don't think I have every laughed so hard at anything on TV in my life.

For those willing to risk the risque...

(rings doorbell) Do-dooo. Do-dooo.
I'll let myself in!
Are you Lee?
These words come right from me,
They're to you and your name is Lee,
Can you fix me a treat?
Maybe some mystery meat.
I love you girl, I sing this song,
You have the shower cap on,
When you're servin' all that food.
Hey!
Do you like it when you spoon out the food,
Do you like it, Lee?
Oh Lee, aiiyeah Lee,
Would you like to serve me? (unbuckles belt)
On Monday - meatloaf. (pulls back shirt)
On Tuesday - steak. (touches butt)
On Wednesday - pork. (poses)
On Thursday - chicken. (acts like chicken)
And Friday,
It's the best day of all,
Because you get to have a little spaghetti,
And two great meatballs...
(cracks up)
Oh Lee!

Two years running I was fortunate enough to see "A Night of Improv" live in Portland. The cast of this tour consisted of the majority of cast members and guests from WLIIA, and the first year had Drew himself as a special guest. Greg Proops opened the show with about 15 minutes of stand-up directed particularly at the Northwest audience, to great response.

Ever since, I have searched for this tour, but haven't seen the full group performing anywhere together. If you have the opportunity to see improvisational comedy by any of the cast of WLIIA, do not miss out. You will laugh until you pee.

Cooking Spree!

It's 12:24 in the morning and I just sat down on the couch to relax. In the last 3 hours I made lasagna, salsa and smoothies.

The salsa was by request of my boss, Jennifer - after she tasted the last batch. I don't generally measure stuff unless I'm using someone else's recipe for something. Following are approximate quantities for the evening's creations.

Salsa
(made a LARGE bowl)

• Balsamic Vinegar about 3/4 cup
• Garlic 5 or 6 cloves, finely chopped
• Large White Onion finely chopped

Mix above ingredients in the bottom of a large bowl.

• 2 Large Yellow "low acid" tomatoes, chopped
• Large handful Cilantro

Blend in food processor and add to bowl, mix.

• 3 "on the vine" Tomatoes, chopped in small pieces
  

Add to the bowl, mix.

• 4 Roma Tomatoes, chopped
• 2 Large Beefsteak Tomatoes, chopped

Blend in food processor and add to bowl, mix. Add about 2 tablespoons of lemon juice and about 3 teaspoons salt. Cover and refrigerate overnight and then add salt or lemon juice as needed.


Lasagna
(made a 9x12 pan)

• Large container of Ricotta
• Package of Feta
• Chopped Basil
• Chopped Garlic

Mix in bowl and set aside.

• One package of burger crumbles
• Chopped Basil
• 1/2 cup water

Brown in pan on med/high and set aside.

Boil about 15 lasagna noodles, drain and rinse under cold water.

Spread about 3/4 cup of your choice of Sauce in the bottom of the pan, place one layer of noodles over sauce. Spread a level of ricotta mixture, then noodles, then burger mixture, then noodles, then sauce, then ricotta, etc. until pan is full. Top with sauce, cover with tin foil and bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Remove tin foil, top with shredded mozzarella and return to oven for about a half hour or until cheese browns and bubbles.

It's now 12:45am and I'm going to try the lasagna.

How Many Cats Do You Have?

I have three.

So far, that's the most I've had at one time but some people think it's too many. One of these people is my friend Sue, who very kindly sent me the action figure seen at right.

The back of the box asks the following questions:

1. Do you get excited when you hear a can opener?
2. Do you think cats are smarter than people?
3. Do you feel Tom is more talented than Jerry?
4. Do you have more cats than ex-boyfriends?
5. Do you bring new boyfriends home so the cats can meet them?
6. Do you later break up with them because the cats weren't impressed?
7. Do you spend more on doctor bills for your cats than for yourself?
8. Do you buy the ice cream your cats prefer instead of the kind you like?
9. Can you tell your cats apart by the roughness of their tongues?
10. Have you ever warned a guest not to sit on a specific piece of furniture because it belongs to the cats?
11. Do you own more than once piece of clothing with a cat on it?
12. Do you have a website devoted to your cats? Do you have a website for each cat?
13. Do you spend more on Christmas presents for your cat than for your family?
14. Do you buy more than one kind of cat food because a few of your cats are picky eaters?
15. Have you ever had to explain to a police officer that the stuff in the bag really is catnip?
16. Do you feel that the ancient Egyptian tradition of cat worship is the one true religion?
17. Is the sheet of instructions for watching your cats while you're on vacation longer than a page? Two pages? What vacation?

If you answered yes to 7 or more of these questions, you may be a crazy cat person.

Sue very kindly checked off the questions she felt applied to me.

At the bottom she kindly inscribed "Sorry Marisa, you're screwed!"

The truth of the matter is

1. No, because I only have a manual can opener and it doesn't make any noise.
   
2. Sometimes, depending on the cat and the people. Minx is smarter than a lot of people.
   
3. No, Tom was a dummy.
   
4. No. I only have 3 cats and I have about 4 or 5 times that many ex-boyfriends.
   
5. Yes.
6. Yes. Ok, not really, but if my cats don't like someone I usually don't end up liking them in the long run, either.
   
7. Yes. At one time I spent about $450 on a cat to have his teeth cleaned. Twerp had some nasty teeth and required anesthesia to have them taken care of.
   
8. No, but they aren't too picky about the kind of ice cream they like, either. Chou will eat anything. Chips, ice cream, corn, peas, and beer. Maui eats anything humans will eat and loves dog food. Minx eats plastic bags.
9. No, but I can tell which one of them has jumped on the bed in the dark by the weight of their step.
10. Yes. I don't think the cat tree would hold very many people, anyway.
11. Yes. I have several pairs of socks with cats on them.
12. Yes. Thanks to Catster.
13. No. I spend way too much on my significant others and about half as much on my cats.
14. No. I only buy one kind of cat food because they all eat out of each other's dishes.
15. No, but it would be fun.
16. YES. Minx is the queen.
17. Yes, No, and we go on vacation!

Still, I have had 3 cats at a time consistently for the last 7 years. Before that I had at least one cat as far back as third grade, and I know that we had cats when I was a very young child, as well.

I admit that I talk about my cats a lot. In my defense, they are pretty great cats. People that don't like cats fall in love instantly with Chou.

Wouldn't you?

(R.I.P. Smudgie I, Ajax, Smudgie II, Mocha, Scamperoo, Twerp, Jackson, and Crispin)

Duh...

You Are Ernie

Playful and childlike, you are everyone's favorite friend - even if your goofy antics get annoying at times. You are usually feeling: Amused - you are very easily entertained You are famous for: Always making people smile. From your silly songs to your wild pranks, you keep things fun. How you life your life: With ease. Life is only difficult when your friends won't play with you!

The Sesame Street Personality Quiz

I'm a Nose-Picker

I'll bet you think I'm going to explain that title away with some clever pun or story. I'm not. I'm a nose-picker "for real."

I didn't ever pick my nose until high-school. I'm not sure when it started or why. Well, I guess the why is because I became very sensitive to having anything poky IN my nostrils. I can't stand the feeling of something in there, it seems alien.

I'm not a pick-my-nose-in-front-of-a-crowd sort of picker, and also not a shirt-wiper (unless I'm en route to throw the shirt in the wash).

I have known which of my relationships were "good" ones by the fact that my significant other was ok with the knowledge of my pickitude.

Sorry Mom, I'm sure you're horrified, but you can rest in the fact that it wasn't bad parenting that caused me to have such a disgusting habit. I'm also pretty sure I didn't get it from my Dad, while I do fuzzily recall him "cleaning" with a pinkie once or twice, I wasn't living at home when I took it up.

Sign me up for NPA, "I'm Reese, and I'm a Picker."

Customer Lack-of-Service

Our journey home started with our cab ride from the Paris to McCarren airport. Once in the cab we realized that our driver had no intention of taking us the fastest route, and didn't even ask which way we wanted to go. He was also talking on his cell phone the entire time. No tip for ACE cab #6663.

We tried to check in using the self-service kiosk, but the computer could not find my itinerary. We persuaded a clerk to help us and managed to off-load our checked baggage at the security drop-off without further hassle. We had a little time for hi-jinks with the lizard statue on the way to our gate. Our flight boarded on time and we each took a Dramamine before take-off.

We both managed to sleep most of the 4+ hour flight to Miami and stumbled off the plane at about 6:30am EST. Our connecting flight to Key West was scheduled to depart at 10:10am, so we again found a corner in the airport and fell asleep, setting an alarm to wake us in time to board the plane.

Right on time we boarded the bus to take us out to our small plane. Instead of stopping at the plane, the driver continued in a circle and dropped us back off at the starting gate. Our bewildered bunch of comrades piled OFF the bus and back in to the terminal. Soon the helpful intercom voice announced that our flight was canceled due to "maintenance issues" and to "please see the help desk located across from the escalator."

The next flight to Key West was at 1:10pm and was already full. We managed to secure seats on the 2:15pm flight and were given a $20 voucher to use upstairs in the remaining 3+ hours we had to wait. Back to the nap zone.

About 20 minutes before we needed to be back downstairs at our gate, Scott spent the voucher at a Starbucks, loading up on teas and juices since it was a "use it or lose it" $20.

We also got a call from Katie and Kevin, who were still in Vegas after having their flight to Seattle canceled, being bullied and nearly kidnapped by a psycho cab driver, booking and canceling a room at one hotel, finding a room at another hotel, and scoring free tickets to come visit us for their trouble.

It seems that all the luck of 7-7-07 caused a distinct curse day on 7-8-07.